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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut legislator accused of sending affectionate texts to a 16-year-old girl is being investigated by police, officials said Friday.
Capitol police officer Scott Driscoll said his department received information involving Rep. Angel Arce and that an investigation is underway to determine if a crime had been committed.
The Hartford Courant published a series of texts the 57-year-old Hartford Democrat allegedly sent to the teen in 2015. One read, "good night love and sweet dreams and thank you for coming into my life." Other messages included "you are so beautiful and gorgeous" and "I think we going to keep a lot of secrets between us."
The Courant said the messages apparently were sent from Arce's Facebook Messenger and were provided to the newspaper by the teen, who is now 18.
Jeffrey Kestenband, Arce's lawyer, says his client did nothing improper and will not comment further.
Fellow lawmakers and staff said Arce, who is not married, is a father of two sons and is also a grandfather.
House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, both Democrats, have called on Arce to resign. He has already had his leadership roles and committee assignments stripped by Aresimowicz. First elected to the General Assembly in 2012, he was an assistant majority leader and vice chairman of the Transportation Committee.
"These messages and what they imply are repugnant," said Kelly Donnelly, a spokeswoman for the governor.
A spokesman for Aresimowicz said Arce had not responded to the resignation request as of Friday afternoon.
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